short of going off the fiscal cliff entirely, passing the senate tax increase instead of proposing these, or pursuing these progrowth and fiscal reform ideas is the worst idea on the table. raising the top two marginal rates would reverse long-standing tax policy and hit nearly a million business owners in the process. it would eliminate over 700,000 jobs, as i said. if the president is genuinely interested in economic growth and higher tax reference that come from -- revenues that come from it, he should drop his demands for the senate bill and listen to the consensus that higher taxes hurt growth and lower taxes help create jobs and prosperity. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. sessions: i appreciate senator kyl's comments. i share them and just would say we're going to miss the most knowledgeable fiscal tax expert in the senate. his long career includes time on the finance committee. thank you, senator kyl. i want to express some reservations about the negotiations that have been going on, as i understand it, reading the paper, involving the fiscal cliff. over the l